Over the weekend, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office reported a suspected Ebola case in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) North Kivu province, and today an official from the country's national lab confirmed the finding, according to media reports.

In an Aug 20 statement, the WHO said the patient is a 46-year-old woman who died on Aug 15 after she received care at Beni Referral Hospital. She was initially hospitalized for other problems, but later showed symptoms consistent with Ebola infection.

Matshidiso Moeti, MBBS, WHO African regional office director, said the WHO is already on the ground to investigate the case and prepare for a possible outbreak. She said staff are working with local officials to identify the woman's contacts and monitor their health.

The DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed the finding today, according to Reuters. Placide Mbala, PhD, head of the INRB's pathogen genomics laboratory, said tests suggest the case is genetically linked to the large outbreak in 2018-2020 that was centered in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, located in the northeastern part of the country.